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beansideDay one of Busch Gardens has been achieved, and it was a blast. We started out early and got in line for parking. I am so glad I sprung for the VIP parking. It is totally worth it to be so close to the gate. We were in the first line of cars, and it was deeply appreciated when we were dragging out of the park. We had a little glitch at first, because our passes wouldn't scan, but a quick trip to guest services took care of that, and we were in the park, all made up for Halloween.
For those who've never been, Busch Gardens has been named the prettiest theme park for several years running. It's basically set in a verdant forest, and it's just gorgeous. The park is split into "countries" with appropriate theming. We basically did a round of the entire park first (all 2 miles) before we got more strategic, using the train to get to places. We still ended up walking about 6 hilly, hilly damn miles.
Our first ride was going to be Verbolten, but it was down for maintenance, so we went to Invadr. No luck on the tester seat--that roller coaster is made for TINY people. Instead, we went on the scrambler for our first ride. We had lunch at Trapper's Smokehouse, which was really tasty. The food plan was very worth it, as the meal would have cost us about $28 (we both got the sampler platter) and the pass was $25. By that time, we had walked half the park and were starving. The brisket, ribs and chicken were welcome. Less welcome were the bees that came over to take a look (This was a running theme.)
Then, we finished our circuit of the park, and stopped to admire the Clydesdale horses. The park used to be owned by Anheiswer Busch, and they still have remnants of the old park. I was a total horse girl as a pre-teen and teenager, took riding lessons and all. And my favorite horse in the world is the Clydesdale. It still gives me a little bit of a thrill every time to see them. Today, I may get my picture taken with one.
We went to the Italy section of the park and got a Dole Whip, er a Pineapple Soft Serve, which was very tasty. Then it was off to Apollo's Chariot. And I fit in the tester seat. We didn't get to do that then due to a comedy of errors, but that's first on the bill for today! After that, we went back to Ireland and watched one of the shows. This one starred the lead character of the HalloScream event, Jack of the Lantern and was basically a dance party, to mostly 70's songs.
I had my mask clipped to my belt, and I lost it around New France (Canada) so not finding one anywere else we went back to Canada to get a new one. It has penguins and I'm love it.
After that, we walked back towards Verbolten, and excitement--It was running. We got in line, and got our first roller coaster of the day! It was much more violent than I thought it would be. The first launch hit, and I had the thought "what have I done" as we were launched into the dark. After a few seconds, I relaxed and it was fun, but wow, it's juxt a violent little coaster. Near the end, you slow to a stop, and the track drops 16 feet, which was exhilarating. Then, it was ourside for the big hill and a few more spine bending curves before we were dropped back at the station.
We finished our day out watching a brass band with two singers called the Skeletones doing some "spooky" music. It was cheesy and a lot of fun.
Downside, as the day wore on, more and more rowdy teenagers arrived, and it started to feel less than safe. Also, we were exhausted. We watched the scare actors come out in their solemn procession, broken by a loud scream as they fanned out, and decided it was time to head out.
Today, we will go at 10 when they open and enjoy ourselves for as long as we want to, then head back to the condo when the idiots come out. We may not get to do the spooky stuff, but we'll have fun with what we do end up doing. We're both a little sore today, so the train is going to be utilized a lot.
All in all, it's been a wonderful vacation so far, as we have another day to go! Have a great Saturday, everyone!
For those who've never been, Busch Gardens has been named the prettiest theme park for several years running. It's basically set in a verdant forest, and it's just gorgeous. The park is split into "countries" with appropriate theming. We basically did a round of the entire park first (all 2 miles) before we got more strategic, using the train to get to places. We still ended up walking about 6 hilly, hilly damn miles.
Our first ride was going to be Verbolten, but it was down for maintenance, so we went to Invadr. No luck on the tester seat--that roller coaster is made for TINY people. Instead, we went on the scrambler for our first ride. We had lunch at Trapper's Smokehouse, which was really tasty. The food plan was very worth it, as the meal would have cost us about $28 (we both got the sampler platter) and the pass was $25. By that time, we had walked half the park and were starving. The brisket, ribs and chicken were welcome. Less welcome were the bees that came over to take a look (This was a running theme.)
Then, we finished our circuit of the park, and stopped to admire the Clydesdale horses. The park used to be owned by Anheiswer Busch, and they still have remnants of the old park. I was a total horse girl as a pre-teen and teenager, took riding lessons and all. And my favorite horse in the world is the Clydesdale. It still gives me a little bit of a thrill every time to see them. Today, I may get my picture taken with one.
We went to the Italy section of the park and got a Dole Whip, er a Pineapple Soft Serve, which was very tasty. Then it was off to Apollo's Chariot. And I fit in the tester seat. We didn't get to do that then due to a comedy of errors, but that's first on the bill for today! After that, we went back to Ireland and watched one of the shows. This one starred the lead character of the HalloScream event, Jack of the Lantern and was basically a dance party, to mostly 70's songs.
I had my mask clipped to my belt, and I lost it around New France (Canada) so not finding one anywere else we went back to Canada to get a new one. It has penguins and I'm love it.
After that, we walked back towards Verbolten, and excitement--It was running. We got in line, and got our first roller coaster of the day! It was much more violent than I thought it would be. The first launch hit, and I had the thought "what have I done" as we were launched into the dark. After a few seconds, I relaxed and it was fun, but wow, it's juxt a violent little coaster. Near the end, you slow to a stop, and the track drops 16 feet, which was exhilarating. Then, it was ourside for the big hill and a few more spine bending curves before we were dropped back at the station.
We finished our day out watching a brass band with two singers called the Skeletones doing some "spooky" music. It was cheesy and a lot of fun.
Downside, as the day wore on, more and more rowdy teenagers arrived, and it started to feel less than safe. Also, we were exhausted. We watched the scare actors come out in their solemn procession, broken by a loud scream as they fanned out, and decided it was time to head out.
Today, we will go at 10 when they open and enjoy ourselves for as long as we want to, then head back to the condo when the idiots come out. We may not get to do the spooky stuff, but we'll have fun with what we do end up doing. We're both a little sore today, so the train is going to be utilized a lot.
All in all, it's been a wonderful vacation so far, as we have another day to go! Have a great Saturday, everyone!
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Date: 2021-10-02 07:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-10-04 12:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-10-03 02:18 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-10-04 12:03 pm (UTC)We didn't really do much of the Halloween stuff aside from the shows, but that was okay.